New middles
by AndIwannabesomeone
Summary: Because sometimes, some people deserve more than to die as a traitor being a hero. no incest nor yaoi just family love, non mass and time travel
1. Chapter 1

… just because I have seen so many stories of time travel that ends with kisses and almost no mention of the love shared between these two brothers (ONLY!). And I hate depressing stories (such as the Uchiha Clan)

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Beginnings are always the same, the opposite of the endings. You come crying, and if you're lucky, you go smiling. And of course I ain't one of the lucky ones, I knew that (since a time when I reached for onii-san's hand, since I was –foolish,foolish,foolish- blind for not realizing that those hands would take everything from me, even themselves)

But I didn't go crying either ( like a pathetic person, begging and promising lies that would never be fullfiled), I just smelled the air around me ( tasting the kunais, the battlecries of millions, thetearsthebloodthesweat that the war brings) and closed my eyes. Struck by a dump voice of a dobe in my head that was asking why are you giving up, but I wasn't. I was giving in. Because I fought ( so much, so many people for what seem to be forever), and even I get tired.

When the darkness began to take over me, I wondered if I would finally feel the happiness of seeing that simple smile and feeling those fingers on my forehead, or just go to hell. Because I wasn't stupid, and knew that even if I had good motives, I've done some pretty shity things.

And just like going to sleep when I was a child (with loved ones to hold, because after that sleeping didn't come easy nor good) I went, slowly at first and then all at once.

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ok guys tell me what you think

this is my first story and i'm trying my best, so please be gentle

kisses, til next time


	2. Chapter 2

I'm back, and I know the last one was short but that was only the prologue so…

Anyways, lets go

Dark, all around me. The type that I had been scared in the past, and somehow got used to after. For it was better not to see at all than to be obligated to look at the remaining blood (that no matter how many times and how hard he tried to clean, it wouldn't go away, but maybe that was just him) on the floor.

But this time I didn't want the darkness, so I turned and turned. Searching for something, anything. Until I felt a punch being delivered to my gut and I lost by breath. And suddenly I saw.

Being in a unknow territory was not something he wasn't used to, but the promise of the end was something he was looking forward. So the desire to weep was almost overwhelming, almost. Activing the sharingan was harder than he expected and the power it brought was incredibly weak, only helping him to analyze the room he was confined in.

Still trying to regain his breath he sat up and looked around, and with a pang he realized where he was and this time the tears didn't stop at his eyes. His old room was… diferent. The lamp he had broken in a fit of rage was intact. He pinched himself(it hurt, normal), tried to dispel the genjutsu, again, again! Nothing, huh?Noticing one more thing, he looked at his hands. Little was the only thing he could think.

"Sasuke?"

And suddenly the wall (of hate and indifference) he had built after the massacre (because he was never going to suffer like that) crumbled, and the breath he had just regained ran away from him because he could never breathe right when sobbing so hard. And goddamn how many years has it been since he last heard his mother's voice?

And even though he remembered that at the age of three he stop letting people pick him up in their arms, he raised his arms in a silence request. Even if surprised, his mother didn't disappoint him, in no time he was no longer crying in his bed but in her warm arms.

"What happened Sasuke-chan? Did you have a nightmare?"

The only thing I could do was nod because how could I explain something even I don't understand?

….

While eating breakfast with Okaa-san and Otou-san, I learned the why Aniki hadn't come to my room that night (just as he used to and helped me go back to sleep after a bad dream). Mission, not exactly a surprise but couldn't say it wasn't a disappointment. Perhaps it was from this body of 4 years old (although he doubt it) but he missed (terribly) his brother.

The mission, of course, was only to take the merchant to his home town. After all Itachi was 9 and the only chunnin of his genin team.

"When is he coming back, Okaa-san?" I asked, breaking the silence and looking at mother other than the almost not touched plate in front of me. It's not like I was hungry, having not slept at night after waking up and wondering until dawn what the hell had happened, because after that he realized that it didn't matter, he had a second chance and it wouldn't be wasted being questioned.

"Taking the distance and the fact that the client is not a shinobi, so he had less stamina, into consideration it was highly probable to take one day. So since Itachi-kun went yesterday…" she finished smiling, stretching the last word.

"He's coming home today!" I say excited, because I blame it on the hormones of this childish body. "I'm going to Shisui's!" I proclaim while getting up.

"Wait a minute, aren't you going to finish your food?" Otou-san asked, and I wonder if the main reason that he and not Okaa-san did it was because she was still worried about last night.

I stilled, how did I used to get out of this kind of trouble?

"Un… Not really hungry, sorry." I replied and bow down as an apology, then went for the door.

Shisui's house was close to ours (and it felt so good to be ours and not just mine), traditionally made of wood just as every other house in the Uchiha compound. And there lives (almost nobody) Shisui and his mother, because his father died when he was younger, and so Auntie drowned herself in work, barely going home. In those days that she goes home, Shisui stays with her, when not he stays with us.

Mom always have a room ready for him and not even father (was, no) is slightly shaken when he comes and goes to his room.

I ring the bell and the door opens to reveal a boy of thirteen, instead of the man that I used to see him as. Amazing how different is a child interpretation of the reality.

"Sasuke-chan, how do you do? Need something?" greeted Shisui with a smile. And I cursed my height, because looking so up all the time was starting to hurt my neck (and I stopped boding well with a literally pain in the neck after that chunnin exam).

I raised my arms to be picked up, not a bit embarrassed for being technically an adult because before I didn't do it and I regretted.

Shisui froze and with his eyebrows up he looked truly surprised. He bend down to be face to face with me and I put my arms around his neck. Slowly he raised his arms, almost as if expecting some kind of attack, to my thighs and pressed me to his torso as he stood up. And I decided ignore his what-the-heck-happened-to-you-while-I-was-gone look to lay down my head on his shoulder, suddenly feeling the all nighter come to bite me in the arse. Only to be pulled back by the hair for him to look me in the eyes.

"Did you even sleep, kiddo? Everything's alright? Itachi will totally have my a-.. un head for letting you become like this ya know?" and he sighed. I freed myself from his hold and returned my head to his shoulder. Closing my eyes, I relaxed.

"Too bad for you then, because he's getting home today" I said against his neck. He snored.

"Cheeky brat. Well, since you don't seem like you're gonna let go so soon, wanna go around with me?" only then I realized that he wasn't in comfy clothes as he normally uses at home. But well, I didn't mind anyway so I nodded. More so that the probability of seeing Onii-san, while being with the only person that would actually go out of his way to look for and annoy aniki, was big, making it a win-win situation.

…..

"…ome time since he allowed this, huh? Surprised me too" and just like that Shisui's voice woke me from a slumber that I didn't remember falling. Not wanting to raise my head I tried to remember where was our location, refusing to rub my eyes and resemble even more a child, I blinked my tired eyes and stared some more at the gates, ignoring the voices. Wait, gates? I raised my head with a start and turned to meet the dark grey eyes of my brother.

"Onii-chan!" I cried as I reached for him. Even with only five years separating us nii-san was more than two times my size and with just enough muscles to hold me. He didn't seem to be surprised about my silent request, but then again if he made the same face as Shisui when asked the same thing, I wouldn't know what to do.

"Have you been sleeping well, Sasuke?" I signed again, what's up with my face, really?

"Hnn" I replied, not confirming nor denying, and I instinctively felt his right eyebrow be raised. Definitely feeling a small amount of amusement behind the worry, I buried my face in the crook of his neck and held my arms in an almost hug (and I felt something in me melt, because since discovering his true reasons for that night I wanted to do this, to go back to being brothers and have someone who would always love me, but then he was deaddeaddead, but I have that now and it feels so good). And I kind of go slack in his arms, but I won't allow myself to sleep now, not now.

Okay, this one is bigger now. I almost can't believe it, 1.433 words! Well then… review please

Kisses, til next time


	3. Chapter 3

I'm saaaaaad, please guys review I need to know what are the thoughts of this story

 **pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase!**

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In the lifetime where I was alone, there were many times that the sleep didn't come easily for the promise that the supposed rest brought was pain and endless nightmares. But now (wrapped in blankets after being tuck in by my brother, while sensing my father securing the house with my mother, and hearing the shower running from Shisui's room), it was not (only) the fear of seeing those memories repeat themselves behind closed lids that kept me awake. But (also) the way his mind seemed to want to work.

The changes he could make were endless. Keep the Uchiha Clan from trying to rebel and being massacred in the process, train more seriously and make his clan proud, be closer to team 7 (because although that task will probably be extremely troublesome, the possibility of being friends without the burden of his rage and becoming the perfect time were worth the trouble). The list goes on and on. And the anxiousness made butterflies, which he used to think died alongside his clan, come to live in his belly and make their way up until it reached his mouth. So much that he couldn't stay in bed anymore.

Mindless walking through the halls, in the middle of the dark and the silence was calming in a way. His feet stopped right in front of the sliding door which separated the inside from the place that once was used by Itachi to tell him that he would always be there for him (lielielie). He couldn't stop himself from opening the door (even though he knew his parents had the trouble to close everything with the intention of keeping them safe) and stepped outside (admiring a beautiful view of the compound that he had lost before).

The stars of the night (because it was still night, right? Three hours after midnight was a time when light was non-existent, so that counted as night, I think) tranquilized the four years old boy, and somehow he felt that he could finally sleep. Now seated on the floor he took a deep breath, and while he exhaled, his body started going limp. With the tiredness taking over his bones, and almost closing his lids, he didn't even notice somebody coming from behind.

"What are you doing up?"

With a start I turn to the voice of Otou-san. "Couldn't sleep" I say going back to my original position and wait to him leave. The surprise came when I felt him sitting beside me.

I look up to his face, and seeing the lines below his mouth from frowning to much with the dark around his eyes that comes from lack of sleep (and like that I could see the stress that being a clan leader brings you), I couldn't stop a small grin to make place in my face. Because, even with motives to go back to a more comfortable place (or stay in it), father was by my side.

Black eyes met black eyes, and his eyebrows loosen up just a little bit, a breath be exhaled like a snorted between twitching lips. I realized that as a child I had waited for my father to show that he loved me with words and actions that would be obvious to anyone, but I (somehowmaybehowcouldI) didn't seem to notice that my father was alike all of our clan mates and myself in another time, of course minus the temper.

Seeing him now, in a new light, as an loving father with an stoic facade made my action seeking body relax. Leaning on his left side, still with the small grin, we stayed watching the compound.

The feeling the tiredness taking over my body was not welcomed, for the happiness that came from being near Otou-san was something he didn't want to end. But that was quickly settled when instead of just being told to go to his room, he was picked up with an utmost care. With no such thing as hurry, his father took the boy to the bed that the little one was supposed to be sleeping, and tuck him in.

The man didn't linger, but all the while going to sleep Sasuke could feel his father chakra covering him (and all the way of the house that was between them) like a big blanked. He didn't have a nightmare that night.

...

Breakfast as a child was normally eaten alone under the kind gaze of my mother, for everyone else had already gotten up and started the day before the me even acknowledge the morning as morning. But now, being able to listen to the steps around the house, the urge to get up and see what is going on is overwhelming.

So he made his way to the kitchen, to encounter everyone sitting around the table and eating. Such a different sight, he couldn't help but to think. I took a sit between Shisui and nobody while my mother prepared a plate for me.

"Up so early, squirt?" came the question from beside me and I looked around. My brother and father (so alike) were eating silently while liking to the food. Shisui, of course, was high with energy and filling the silence for the hole family. And mother was looking at me, with the plate on her hand, worried again. So I smiled. "I'm ok mom, really. I slept great."

My head suddenly got heavy. "Are you ignoring me Sasu-chan?" I rolled my eyes, and then turned to him, pushing away his hand. "I thought the question was not worthy of a answer since it's so obvious."

A huffed sound came from beside my cousin, but my brother made no indication even as everyone looked at him. I felt Shisui's eyes on me little before a tasted his knuckles on my temples. "Huh, so the little Sasuke-chan doesn't thing I deserve an answer?"

A giggle escaped my lips as I, once again, pushed his hand away. Oh well, I'm already a child. At least them, I don't want to see me as I was before. So I showed my tongue to him before mother placed the plate in front of me.

"Behave children." came the order from her smiling lips, and I smiled back at her.

Once again a monologue began, and I looked at the sky. Naruto wouldn't be up at this hour, and even if a miracle happened I couldn't just come to him out of nowhere, the anbu around him would find it suspicious. So, Sakura it is.

Well, she should be up. The civilians here usually work at this hour and leave their kids or at a kinder or at a park. So since her house used to be in the south area, it would be easier for her parents to leave her at the park that was close to there.

No better time to start my plan than now. I stood up. "Where're you going, Sasuke-chan? You didn't even finished your food."

"Unn, I'm not that hungry." I said as I made my way to the front door (with no bow, because no matter how badly I wanted, I remember that the last time they were surprised. Figures that I was a disrespectful child).

"Wait a minute mister. You didn't answer where you are going"came the voice of my cousin from behind me. I turned to see Shisui's smiling worried face with crossed arms, and my brother behind him. Nii-chan's face wasn't showing much, but simply the fact that he had followed me here was an indication of something that made my heart beat faster. They were all worried.

"Relax, relax. I'm not going to do anything illegal" I said as I opened the door "probably". I grinned and looked back at my brother. The loosen from between his eyebrows was there and so as the twitching in his lips, he was having fun so there was no problem. I ran my way out of the compound.

...

Finding Sakura was easy. She has pink hair for Kami-sama's sake. And the fact that her parents actually left her on the park was a positive point for my plan. It's not like I couldn't make her leave the kinder garden with me if I had to, but it would be a bit more troublesome.

I made my way to the pink hair girl and "I'm Sasuke and I want to be a shinobi, what about you?" well I wasn't the most smooth person, but I wasn't going to be nervous or waste time to think about what to say to Sakura. I mean Sakura.

Big green eyes met mine and her cheeks went red (Kami-sama please let it so that she isn't a fangirl even at this age). "I'm Sakura, I also want to be a..." and as the phrase went her voice got lower to point that I couldn't hear. But oh well, I got the message. At least I didn't have to make her change her mind about her future.

"Really? You seem weak and no shinobi is so shy that he can't speak properly" she didn't seem so bad, but the cute and shy attitude got to go. The last shy kunoichi that he had met had only left him the memory of her puking her insides out for she wasn't good enough.

Her emerald eyes filled with water and she gave me a puppies dog eyes, waiting for an apologize. that wasn't coming. She was not going to do this, how does she expect to survive on the shinobi world like this?

"That is pathetic, this won't get you anywhere." her eyes stopped filling itself with salt water and her cheeks went terribly red as she turned her most terrifying glare at me. I mean for our age, we are four, there's no way she could seriously scare someone. But it was a start, even if she looked like a puppy playing angry.

"That's better"

"Jerk"

"Much better"

"Ugh!"

She turned to leave, making her pace fast. But not so fast, I was able to catch up.

"Are your parents shinobi?"

I got an distrustful glance "No" and an answer.

"Well, I do. We should train together. My brother started training when he was around my age."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you want to be a shinobi and I figure you want to a strong one, so the early training will do you some good. I bet that you get tired fast."

"I do not!"

"Well than prove it"

"Why don't you find someone else?"

"Because I want you"

"Why?!"

"Because you are the only one that is looking at me like I'm a person, not a thing to be acquired or beaten" and at this her eyebrows went up, I gestured for her to look around with my head, so she could see the look that the parents were giving me.

"Oh"

"Yeah. I want to become strong and I need at least one partner to train properly"

She huffed "Whatever"

I smirked "I think were going to be great together"

"And why is that?"

"Well, at least, I got you to talk right"

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soooo guys this is it for today, don't forget to review,

till next time

kisses


	4. Chapter 4

So guys I remembered that Shisui's father was not some unknown guy, and if you have already read chapter two than if want to go back and see that I fixed! I mean how could I forget that his father was Uchiha Kagami? That is beyond me. But you should have reminded me! The reviews, remember?

Well, anyway, let's start.

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The streets were considerably quieter by the time he started going home for it had already turned dark but it wasn't so late that everyone was asleep, had it be his decision the training would have continued. He blamed Sakura's parents for coming to pick up their daughter so early. Even if by the time they came, she was almost dead in her feet.

Of course they didn't go through katas because for that they would need at the best a book, the worst a teacher. He wasn't supposed to know that much, but it didn't matter, he had a plan for that. Sakura was always good at theory, so just give her a book and then make her practice.

Well, even without a fight training the day was pretty tiring if he did so himself. Running nonstop all day, while having to argue with the pink haired girl, was nothing to laugh about. Of course, the complaining that her lungs were not working anymore or the insults were much better than the previous act of a fangirl.

His elbow stung when he opened the door of his house, "Tadaima", he announces. "Okairinasai" the voice of my brother echo as a greeting, and he wondered where the whole family was.

"In the kitchen, Sasuke-chan" the answer comes from my mother.

As he enters the room, the sight of the family around the table while his mother does the dinner doesn't surprise him, and he takes a sit beside the space that his mother will use to eat.

"So, squirt, what did you do today?"

I looked at Shisui, who was in front of me, then at Itachi, who was beside his cousin, and finally at Fugaku, who was at the head of the table. I met Shisui-nii eyes and smiled.

"Secret."

Veins almost popping, I laughed and the air around the table was not heavy at all for once, his next action would probably be scraping his knuckles on my temple as a punishment. If however mother didn't step to place the plates and hashis for everyone.

She paused in the middle of it, and I wondered what the problem was, frowned and lifted her gaze from my… oh. Suddenly, making a spring for the door didn't seem like a bad idea.

"Itachi-kun, dear, if could grab the medicine box, please?"

"Of course." Came the reply from another pair of frowning lips.

With the box, after getting it from the bathroom that was in front of the kitchen, he came to a stop in front of me. And reached out his hand in a silent demand, I placed my arm on it.

"It's alright, Nii-chan, it doesn't hurt" I proclaimed as I sensed the ever growing displeasure of his, which as foundation had the little scrap on my elbow.

Aniki cleaned the wound, Okaa-chan continued making dinner and silence was present.

…

"So, Sasuke, how did you get hurt?" and I wanted to bang my head in something, because the question came from Otou-san and there's no way I could evade that one.

"Unn... I ...tree"

"Louder please, Otouto"

"I got pushed into a tree" That was truly the truth. Sakura had, in a mindless action, pushed him as they bickered. And that was such an unexpected act (for he didn't expect her of all people to behave like an normal friend) that he had actually lost his footing and crashed into the tree. Embarrassing as it may be. Not that he had to tell anyone that part.

The family froze and the air around him seemed colder somehow.

"I see, and who was this kid?" Sakura was annoying, but she didn't deserve such punishment. Because although I didn't remember the events, I remember the stories of what had become of Nii-chan's bullies after mother had discovered that in the academy he wasn't very popular.

"Nobody." And so, the girl wouldn't be throw to a pack of wolfs, literally, because it was in that story that I learned which animal mother summoned.

"Hn, and in the near future should we be expecting a complain?"

"No, I didn't fight."

"No?"

"No father."

"And why is that?"

Looking back I could have turned angry or even made he so guilty that she would have cried, so why?

"Because… Konoha is home right? And so we're all family. There's no need to fight, I can understand fighting enemy ninja for that reason. We aren't part of one thing and ours interests clash, so there's no other alternative. But here it's different, if needed we can come to an understanding and I didn't even know if the purpose was to get me hurt or not."

Had it happened when I had nobody, I would have fought. For the thoughts that we were one of the same would be dead along side with the clan. But while they were still alive, my heart would be too. That was the main reason why in the past life nobody could be an special somebody to me nor enter my heart, even if they were shinobi and could enter a place without a key, they couldn't enter a place that didn't exist.

"It seems I raised you well, Sasuke-chan"

I looked at Okaa-chan, surprised even, and smiled with her, knowing that we weren't the only ones.

...

Again, by the time everyone should be sleeping, he was seating in the porch. This time swinging his legs, that didn't reach the rock bellow, and still looking at the compound.

This time, when his father took his seat beside him, it didn't surprise as much. He hadn't heard the man come behind, but he shouldn't be awed by that, since his Otou-san was a shinobi, and he a child without training. For now.

"Is this not going to be a one time event?"

I shrugged and in the end I left my head down, together with my gaze. I knew that staying awake until god know what time every night and working all day was too much to ask for. But I simply couldn't sleep, not all through the night, at least in the other life it was that way, and I didn't want to see what I left behind there.

"..."

"I see." But he didn't get up.

"Your mother told me you had a nightmare."

"Hai." I wondered if that demonstration of weakness was a disappointment in his eyes, and the thought gave me a pang of a pain in my chest that I haven't felt for a long time.

His hands were heavy, but they were also warm and they passed the message that he didn't vocalized. _It's going to be alright._ Just like that I felt better.

I relaxed, leaning on my father. This time too, he lift me up and tuck me in. But this time the nightmares came, and showed me what I knew I had to change and the desperation that I would feel if I failed.

...

"Really! Where are we going?" The question came from lips that were already used to talk while the body was running and thank god for that because the speed they were going was certainly not allowed in a crowded place.

"Sakura, I was not lying when I said that the destination is the academy." Finally the said place came into view as they turned left at the end of the street.

"But why? They're gonna find out right away that we are not supposed to be there and my mama will know, and heads are gonna roll." Now think, where could they enter without being seen? Where is the wall lower and with a help to jump? No way I'm going to give a lesson on how to climb without using hands. There! Run again.

"Chill. Nobody will realize we're there." Jump on the garbage can, grab the wall to give impulse to jump the other side. Land and wait for Sakura.

"How?! They're ninjas." Run some more, now to the window of the restroom.

"We'll sneak up on them. God! Sakura, you give them way too much credit." Open and hop in.

"And why?" Look to see if anyone's there.

"We need some books." Nope, nobody. Not even in the corridors, they are making this too easy.

"Sasuke! I'm supposed to be at the park, and now imma at the academy in the begging of an operation to steal a book?" Running up the stairs, and… wait, go back, hide. Make no sound until the teacher pass. Go again.

"Yes." Finally the library door, open with caution and look to see if there is anyone looking at the door. No, alright.

"Ugh! You're so infuriating!" Go in, and while making no sound, go the part in which there are usable things.

"Do you even know the meaning of that word?" Do civilians children know the meaning of the big words they throw around? Now which ones to get? Fingers move over the books in indecision.

"Yes! I'm not dumb, okay! It means causing or tending to cause anger or outrage." Alright, this one about katas and this two about jutsus that are needed to graduate, the kawarimi and clone technique.

"Huh, yeah right out of a dictionary." Go back quietly to the door, down the stairs.

"And that's a problem?" Hide.

"Not really, tell me did you spend your free time memorizing the dictionary to impress me?" Restroom, nobody, to the window, hurry someone is entering. Out finally, make a mad sprint to the wall. But wait no garbage can this side, ugh.

"Of course not, jerk! I just read it when I was three for kicks and I can remember well." Help her up and getting pulled up by her. Strong even at this age, huh. Totally out without evidence of being there, success.

"Hn." Well, I could use that. Later, thought.

"So, now what?"

"Here, take it. Now we go back and run. You still have poor stamina, and when you go home read those. Tomorrow we'll run and go through what you've read." I hand over the books to her and turn toward the park.

"Run? God, imma gonna die." It's going to be a long day again.

...

"Tadaima."

"Okairinasai."

This time I didn't wondered where they were and went straight for the kitchen.

"Any injure, squirt?"

It seems that I came right on time, the table was all set and mother was begging to serve the plates. I took my sit beside Okaa-chan and in front of the family member that asked the question.

"Not this time. Thank you, mother." I answered and had to emend the continuation for the extra tomato that she placed in my plate.

She seated when everyone was served.

"Itadakimasu."

We echoed father before digging in

...

I was starting to feel bad for my brother, who had to tuck me in before going to sleep only for me to feel like getting up. And so I tried, I rolled right, left, stayed looking at the ceiling, then lying on my stomach with my face buried on the pillow.

But I really couldn't do it.

I knew that going to the porch would wake up father, so think, where? I looked at the window lost in thought, it hit me. I opened the said thing and carefully climbed, I wasn't feeling like falling and breaking a bone.

In the roof, the sight caught me by surprise. It was even better than at the porch. The positive point joined with the fact that this way I didn't disturbed father sleep, for he already worked hard enough.

And so, in the quiet of the night, alone, he gazed at his clan houses, knowing they were alive. There he stayed until he felt like sleeping was worth it.

...

"God, I can't do it anymore, I need food! Hey, Sasuke, I understand the - practice makes perfect – thing and all. But I can't do several jutsus over and over again with no back up energy." I paused, I was in what seemed to be the thousandth kawamiri with the clones I made, and thought.

She was right, our body was not yet accustomed to this. Even if we had a break two hours ago to eat the bento our families made for us. And I already had a plan.

"Alright, we'll stop for lunch, we're going to Ichiraku." Perfect time to meet Naruto, he should be on his way to eat ramen by now. And the food there is cheap, which is a good thing since we are four and our parents don't give us too much money for emergencies.

"Huh, alright, didn't know you liked ramen that much" The stand was not all that close, so we headed there jogging. Right here, next left.

"I don't." There it is, and there he is.

The mass of blond hair in a little body was easy to find, the difficult thing to process was that he was not wearing that neon orange monstrosity. And thank god for that.

I didn't go to the inside instead I took a sit beside the blond, which was seated in the balcony of the shop and right in the middle. He probably was desperate for attention since he made it painfully easy to be approached.

"Hello there, what would you like?" The shop owner asked in a deep voice of an old man.

"Unn" came from Sakura and she turned to me. I turned to her, like I would know.

"Ya know, the miso ramen it's pretty good, especially if it's your first time here, because the taste is more subtle." I turned to Naruto, who was the one that had talked.

"Yeah? Well, thanks." And Sakura replied, turned to me. I nodded.

"Two miso ramen, please." Then to the owner, she asked.

I went back to look at him, and in his face was evident the surprise of his opinion being taken into consideration. He recovered and noticed my gaze, he stared back. I was slapped in back of the head and I turned to the girl.

"It's not polite to stare." Was the excuse, really?

"Really? That just seems like an excuse to touch me."

She flushed as the veins and her irritation made themselves know to everyone present.

"Who would want to touch you, jerk?!"

I turned back to gaze at the boy, who was looking at us like we were some kind of unexpected creatures that he had never came across.

I rested me head in my right hand, waiting for him to gather his wits.

"I'm Sasuke and this is Sakura, we both want to be shinobi, what about you?" I heard a facepalm, whatever.

"… I'm Naruto, and of course I wanna be a shinobi, Imma gonna be Hokage one day!" his voice and confidence increased with each word.

"So, do you have any plans for this afternoon?"

...

"So you two do this every day?"

"Yeah, basically. "

"And from now on so do you, you'll met us here every single day that does no rain, and you'll head here at the moment you wake, no, you still have some time to eat something first."

I looked at the park that was coming closer with each step, and leaving the piece of forest that they use for training behind, refusing to look at the so-happy-that-I-could-cry face of the blond. After lunch, he had trained with them, now the three of them could do kawarimi, and had fitted in between like no one else could. But still, there were times when either of them say something remarkable normal and maybe a little kind, even if behind an angry tone, he would look surprised and a little sad behind the happy. And that was simply just not fair.

"Okay."

At the park, he looked around. There they are, Sakura's parents were just turning the street.

"Well, got to go. Bye Naruto, jerk." I turned to her, one eyebrow raised, she was smiling with an spark in her eyes.

"Of course, annoying, dobe." Ops, the last came out without intention, but oh well, whatever. He really was the only one of the three that seemed to be unable to learn the clone technique, which was one of the simpler jutsus ever. Good for him that he had me, who told him to talk about this with the Hokage (who in their right mind call such an important figure gramps, without even being blood related?) and ask if there was some way.

"Hey teme! What was that?" he exclaimed throwing his arms around and almost hitting Sakura in the head.

"Watch it, baka!"

"Huh? Oh, so sorry Sakura- _chan_." He apologized with irony dripping with every word.

Silence. And then the sound giggles, chuckles and laughing filled the air around, before they went separated ways.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for taking so long guys, but I'm kind of going throw a hard time and can't seem to find time to write. But I'll do my best.

Please remember to review.

* * *

 _"Sorry, Sasuke. There won't be a next time."_

Heart beating fast, almost as if it wanted to jump out of his chest, and he wasn't sure why but the said thing was throbbing (and by gods he wanted to cry, why did it have to be that memory?). The sky wasn't matching his mood, the sun higher than normal and with almost no cloud. Huh, higher?

He looked at the clock beside his bed, damn it all, he was late! Rushing he got ready, after all, he had to meet Sakura and Naruto at the park to start training the katas.

In this past month they met daily, training like they never trained under Kakashi, and making their bodies fit for the life of a perfect weapon. They learned all techniques to pass the academy genin exam (just to not have the worry of Naruto not passing when the time comes) and started leaning D-class jutsus.

Sakura and him had been surprised, when three days after trying to teach Naruto the clone jutsu, the prankster came running to the meeting with the news that he had learned (instead of the normal clone) the shadow clone technique. His advice was a success and the Hokage (after a session of questions and some warnings) taught the said jutsu.

So they kept learning, and so did he (so in the matters of the ninja world as in his own house) because the next night he was trying to let his father sleep and he climbed to the roof, his father appeared. It seemed that, instead of there being a place where nobody would realize he was, his father was so exhausted the day (from the double murder in the west part of the village, as he heard eavesdropping later) that he wasn't aware of his surroundings.

So Sasuke kept being found in high places by his father almost every night, with only now and then as an exception.

After dressing up, he made a run to the front door, not intending to stop and eat his breakfast while everyone was finishing. Of course, the matter with his stomach was another reason to not put anything there just yet. He hadn't planned to be this shaken by that dream, after all, he knew it was coming. But, what could he do right?

Seating in front of the door, putting on his shoes, he felt someone behind him. He didn't turn, he was in a hurry and just so not in the mood.

"Going somewhere, squirt?"

"Out."

"You didn't even had breakfast, Sasuke-chan." And with that Okaa-san came to stand in front me, with one look at my face she frowned. I stood up, ready to go.

"Sorry, not hungry." Tried to go past her and out of the door, but she blocked my way.

"Are feeling alright, Sasu-?" she spoke while reaching for my sweat watery hair and forehead, but my body seemed to have other plans (because it was already trained like that), and so it dodge her touch.

Before anyone started asking questions, he (while making sure not to touch anyone) reached the door and opened it.

"I'm fine" it almost felt like the truth in his mouth. Turning to see even the worried look in his brother's face, that had his eyebrows pulled together slightly and clenched fists that tightening even more after seeing my face, I realized I had to make it right. So I smiled, feeling the skin around my eyes (swollen from lack of sleep) meet and an exhausted wave from my core coming to the surface while doing so.

"Really." Closed the door and walked to the park, for his body was in no condition to run, seeing as the tiredness had slipped into his bone.

...

"You look awful"

"Thank you, Sakura." I replied, without even half of the irony that I intended to.

"Welcome, but really, are coming down with something?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Yeah, I can see that." Now that was the amount of irony he had wanted to use.

"Aren't we going to start with the katas already?"

"Yeah, Sakura, forget this teme that wants to collapse and tell us what you read!"

...

"Ah, come on! There's no way." Came the girl's voice from his right, and he was going to ask what was the matter, but before that he himself felt a drop of water fall on his cheek. Looking up to the once blue sky, he understood, now they would have to train in the rain.

It seemed that Sakura had worked hard at reading yesterday, so after she had explained to Naruto, they started trowing punches and kicks at a tree (that had to serve as a dummy for now), switching from left hand to right and then to the legs every half hour.

"Unn should we find shelter?" came from the blond.

"Of course! Otherwise Sasuke will get sicker and he'll won't come here for days."

"Is that what you're worried about? How cute, but you don't have to feel troubled about that, I don't get sick." I wanted to sigh and smile, so instead I imitated my brother and showed nothing. Even as I heard Naruto laughing.

"Everyone gets sick... Jerk." The nickname seemed to have a different purpose now, so I stopped the punches for a moment and turned to stare at her. Like always, her eyes said it all, and the message was clear: are you truly fine with this?

"Not me, Annoying." As was my answer: yes.

...

He was late, like incredibly so. They had finished the same time, but for some reason he felt like staying there (lying on the mud that had been ground) after both his friends had gone home (because that was what they were, right?).

It hadn't stopped raining since it started, and he'd bet that Sakura had been lectured by her parents for staying to long in the rain. Now, walking through the empty streets of the compound, his chest felt tight and he couldn't breath right. It seemed as if the massacre had already happened.

His breath didn't got better as he started running, but his gut wasn't telling him that it was going to spit bile out anymore, so he took that as an improvement.

He didn't bother to open the door quietly, as he normally would, he just throw the bloody thing open and stepped in. Only after taking of his shoes that he realized that he was soaking wet, no way he could reach the nearest bathroom without leaving a trail of water behind him, and mother would be so mad if he did.

"Sasuke! Where were you? You even missed din..ner." Well... speaking of her. She seemed a little surprised, don't know why (wow, it looks like he did had energy to be sarcastic).

"Sorry, Okaa-san. Could you bring me a towel?"

...

For the first time since coming to this time, he didn't felt like staying awake watching the compound sleep. So, with his hair still wet he laid down on his bed (not even waiting for his brother to tuck him in).

After taking a bath, his mother had made him ate a soup and a tea (the only thing his stomach seem to be okay with) before letting him go to his room.

Now, attacked by the need to sleep, his (tired) body didn't fight. Letting the darkness take hold of him whole in one go.

...

 _Lifeless hands lying on the ground, and this is not how it's suppose to be. There's his aunt a few meters away from his uncle, a little cruel voice inside his head tells him not to cry because they were already old (they'd die sooner or later) but a few blocks ahead lies his cousin. She had been pregnant, but the sword had done it's work and cousin Yumika was in two pieces, as was the baby (it was a girl, they had been right to buy all those pink dresses, not that would matter now).So he wanted to ask to the voice what about now, could he cry?_

 _He came with loud but slow steps toward my direction, arm raised and ready to torture me a little bit more (because he must see something I didn't feel and think there's even a minimal part of me left to kill, wasn't I dead? Hadn't I died seven years ago?). But you're a genius after all, aren't you, Nii-san? Seeing what no one would even imagine. It hurts, help me, I don't want to be alone._

 _"We only have each other as siblings. I'll always be here for you, even if it's only an obstacle for you to overcome. That's what brothers are for."_

 _Liar. You weren't there._

 _"He gave everything to you, he loved his Otouto more than anything..."_

 _"Sorry, Sasuke. Next time" But brother, you said that last time too._

 _"He was deeply worried about you"_

 _"_ _Sorry, Sasuke. Next time" Are you lying to me?_

 _"He accepted disgrace in the place of honor, and hate in the place of love. And despise that, Itachi died with a smile on his face."_

 _"_ _Sorry, Sasuke. There won't be a next time." Why are you leaving me too?_

...

The sound of someone knocking on his bedroom door woke him up from the endless circle of nightmares, that kept being repeated over and over during the night, letting him awake (out of breath and drenched in sweat) for a second only to pull him back into unconsciousness to suffer a little bit more.

"Sasuke, come eat breakfast. I won't let you skip it like yesterday." Seems like she was really pissed off, rarely did she called me in such an stoic tone.

"Hai." I responded after coughing a little to clean my throat.

The arrangements of the seats were spelling trouble for someone, and that someone was me. That was just another justification for the ever growing pain in his temples. Father was in his usual place, as was mother and brother, but the little exchange Shisui had made perfectly clear that the meal would be uncomfortable for me. Since the people that bothered to quietly judge me had now the flawless view to do it.

Great.

I lowered my head, letting my hair fall in between me and the rest of the family.

"Itadakimasu." Otou-san said, and the other echoed him.

I was surprised to notice that the food was already served, I hadn't smelled it. And looking at it didn't make a wave of hunger to suddenly appear, so I kept staring at it as everyone else ate in silence.

An cold wind passed by and I shivered, leaning to my brother's side (who was always so freaking warm). But this time he wasn't, could his Aniki be coming down with something?

"Nii-chan, you need a jacket." I said, already separating myself from him and the speed of it made me feel lightheaded.

Onii-chan frowned and extended his hand to touch my forehead, and while I tried to follow the movement I got dizzier and dizzier. I could fell the darkness grabbing and throwing me into the unconsciousness.

Please, not anymore nightmares.

But I knew that was impossible.

...

Mikoto was a mother. And while that statement was the motive of several fights between her and her Okaa-sama, that changed everything, she knew that now.

So she noticed the second that each of her babies began to change. Her firstborn had encountered war at the age of four, so that was a path with no return she had thought at the time (feeling with the cogitation a bitter-taste come across her entire being), and had thanked all higher heavens when realized that she'd had been mistaken. Only after seeing her little boy hold the new member of the family, an year later, and behave like himself again (even if more quietly) that she'd knew he would be alright.

But her smallest son hadn't gone through such a thing, just woken up slightly polite. Then began to eat poorly, sleep as little as possible and be out of the compound for the whole day. Of course she had been worried, so she sought advice and was told that was nothing to do, night terrors was something all children experience.

Following the advices, but being worried all the way, she found herself in the present situation. With her child nightmaring in his bed, after fainting in the middle of breakfast and scaring his brother and cousin half to death (because her husband knew it was coming and had warned her), and crying in desperation as the hours went by.

...

I woke up to sound of crying, my own moans of pain. Although, he should be really thankful that he didn't talk in his sleep, otherwise he would have to explain a lot of things (and that would be one extremely awkward talk).

While that was not the first time in his life (hell, that was the thousandth time today that he had woke weeping, only to have his mother to make him drink his medication, which made him go back to hell) the endless circle made him want to cry... More. Made him want to use all the tears that he hadn't been able to use in the old life, that had been dried or taken away from him.

Finally being able to open his tired eyes, he looked around. Mother was no longer there, it was already nighttime, but brother was there and beside him was the medicament. I turned my head to fully analyze him and the (now not so cold) towel fell from my forehead, the sound of it woke Nii-chan, that got up the chair to wet the cloth and put it back on my skin.

"Sorry, Onii-chan. I made you worry, didn't I?"

"It matters not. Now sit up for a little bit, you need to take your medicament."

I clenched my fist around the blanket, but did as I was told and swallowed the remedy, that left an bittersweet taste in his mouth. Then lay down again, attempting to not let out any sounds, but as I started feeling drowsy, I gave up. And I hit rock bottom, so I began begging.

"Nii-chan, don't let me fall asleep."

"You know I can't do that, Otouto. You have to rest to get better." The remorse on his voice stops me from continuing to ask, he wouldn't give in either way, because, in the matters such as this, Aniki was as stubborn as a mule.

"But don't worry, I'll be here and won't let any nightmare come to get you."

"Huh?"

He leans on the bed, and the edge of his mouth twitching in a small reassuring smile.

"You can sleep, Otouto. I'll protect you from the bad dreams, swear that I won't let them touch you."

"Thank you, Tachi-nii." I get butterflies on my belly, the Uchiha's normally don't demonstrate much, but he deserves, so I continue. "The fact that I have you as my brother makes me happy."

The dream land don't take much to get a hold of me, but before it do, I grab brother's hand, so I'm safe. Even thought I knew that no one could fight something like dreams and nightmares, I let myself be taken under. So the whole night Itachi stayed by my side (in the chair at first, then at the bed with me), protecting me while I freed myself from the burden of a past that wouldn't come true (because I wouldn't let it happen).

* * *

Now there it is! I made it! This chapter is different from all the other, but I knew that I had to give Sasuke some closure on the matters with his "other" family, I mean: losing your family and hold onto it's image for your whole life is not something you get over so quickly or easily. So tell me what you think of this in the review please.

Till next time, kisses


	6. Chapter 6

First of all, thank you all for reading this story, there's something I wanted to clarify to everyone: Sasuke somehow remembers his life from the future or past or whatever, so he isn't an adult in a child's body, he's a child (proudfull and stoic at that) with a freaking lot of knowledge.

Also, so so so sorry for the wait, I had a huuuuuge writer block.

* * *

It was dark, but the night usually is, as he opened his bedroom door and stepped into the hall. His feet moving before his mind had given them a destination, and that was a proof of how accustomed they were of taking this path.

It wasn't far, only ten small steps, and so it didn't take long. His brother's bedroom door was as ordinary as any other door in this house, made of wood and with no locks. He didn't hesitate to knock upon it.

"Come in." came the tired voice in response to it. There's no doubt that brother had been sleeping, even so the controlled tone of voice that he had replied the knock was something I would have been surprised by, had it been anyone else, that is. So I quietly opened the door and entered, not needing to get used to the darker than already dark house, knowing the place of every single thing that was inside.

Like the desk that he had to maneuver around, so his little finger toe didn't have to suffer with it, to get to left side of the bed. Because, apparently, Itachi liked to sleep on the right side (although Sasuke had a feeling that it wasn't as simple as that, that the fact that this way his Onii-chan stood in between him and anyone that came through the door wasn't all because he preferred a side of the bed, but that's going to continuing being a feeling since he was not going to ask his brother that).

He closed the door and went for the bed, when close enough, Nii-chan's arms pulled him to under the blankets. The silence ruled the room for a few minutes.

"Wanna tell me what are they about?"

And there it was the question I was waiting for since the first time I came to him, what are the nightmares about? A simple question with a not so simple answer (like, yeah, in my past life you killed our family and tormented me after. Better not.).

"…"

"I see."

"You won't leave me, right?"

I felt his surprise in the way his body turned stiff.

"No."

"Never ever?"

He relaxed, pulling me into a hug, and with the hand that brought me closer he petted my hair. A calming action but whether it was for me or him, I didn't know.

"Hai, I promise."

"Mother and father, too? The whole clan?"

"Aah, that must have been a pretty nasty dream. Our clan is a shinobi one, Otouto, so there's a high chance that someone will die in battle. But I don't think that is possible for all of them to die, so rest assured, you will not be left alone."

I came closer to him, hiding my face in his neck. It was not the everything-will-be-fine-in-the-end-fairytale answer (good) because I didn't want them, it was flawed but it was the truth and I was more than satisfied with it.

And like that I fell asleep.

…

 _Clear_ , I sign and make the run for it, knowing that they are right behind me. The weight of the book on my left arm didn't matter anymore, and hadn't for at least three weeks, although I didn't know about them.

The library was almost empty, with at most five people and none of them were looking at the door even so we went in and turned right to hide behind the shelves.

 _Here?_ Naruto asked with his hands, even if he took a little longer than Sakura and I would have. On the bright side he wasn't as slow as before and had stopped complaining every time he screwed up while speaking like that.

The sign language that I had taught them was the one that I had developed in the past life while with Orochimaru, and had only taught it to Team Hebi. So they really should feel flattered about it, they were the only ones to know this sign language.

But even when I told them that nobody else would know what we were talking about like that, the blond idiot wouldn't stop the whining. So Sakura and I stopped talking in anything but sign in our training sessions (the poor idiot didn't had a chance, as Sakura had said), at least now he was a lot better than at first (thought they weren't going back to speaking normally anytime soon).

 _Yes._ We placed the books on top of the shelves and started to search for another good reading material. In the end they (Sasuke) decided to take two books of chakra manipulation (one way more dificult than the other, for Sakura, who had showed a even greater chakra control than the last time. But that was to be expected, since it's easier to control when there's less), the six annual ones that were needed to graduate and one about a kata (because better they find out their personal style now rather than later, when the speed of learning is slower).

Without any problems, as usual, they got out.

...

The dirt and the remaining grass were making how legs itch, he didn't even know how there was still some amount of green in the little space of forest they called training grounds, seeing that while practicing katas they would fall (and that was not just a few times) and take some with on the way up, accidentaly or not (he wouldn't get on details later with his family to why there was dirt on his hair and his eyes were red because he had made it so the other party was with at least the same amount of pain).

He got up, his lungs were burning a little less than before and the sweat was almost going into his mouth. His muscles were also hurting in a good way, they were still trying to get used to Uchiha kata style, to the pull that every move required for, it was easier with longer limbs but there was no helping it, there was no way he would try any other kata. With that particully kata he, in the other time, felt his clan's history and members move with him, and that feeling had been brought back with his memories.

Naruto was starting to get up too and Sakura was giving no indication of ever wanting to leave her comfortable lying position on the ground, so he went to her side.

 _Get up._

 _You know, most people that come to you when you're tired to help you up, with a hand, get what I mean?_

 _No._

Naruto, that had been getting the book (with Sakura's brain and Sasuke's memories they came a long way teaching Naruto, who was actually a fast learner, and of the six books that they had to read to graduate ninja school they had finished two and half of the third), came to join the sign talk.

 _Of course he doesn't, he's not most people, he's a special little snowflake._

Sakura laughed and sat up, and the boys took theirs seat beside her on a circle with the space to place the book in the middle. Studing time.

...

The table seems almost empty without his cousin, to fill the silence, and his brother, to send exasperated looks at the talker for his words. They had been send on a mission that would take two days, the first night without the presence of his brother was terrible. Make no mistake, he wasn't as scared of losing them that he wouldn't be able to sleep without unbearable nightmares, but he would still have flashes of terrible memories and Nii-chan helped, a lot.

Maybe brother knew that, because it had been such a long time since he had a mission that took the night, but he hadn't asked that so he would still put that as a beautiful coincidence.

But there was a limit to how much Aniki could avoid long missions, even more now that he was being watched by Shi-nii's team to be recommended to the next jounin exam.

Like the chunin exam, the jounin had three phases, of which only one was open to the public, thought in the jounin the one's that had the authorization to watch was only the ones that had a jounin or higher rank. But unlike the chunin exam, the jounin had to be recomended by a jounin team that was appointed to you by the Hokage to avaliate you.

Sasuke could understand why that was the way it was, since the jounin exam was a lot more dangerous than the chunin the Hokage had to make sure that the person had a chance to survive it. And what better way than to put a team that had survived the exam to work with a person that want to take the said thing?

As to why the public was restric, the reason was to not show the civilians the cruelty of the job. It's as hard to find a chunin that kills as is to find a jounin that don't, and to show that to those not ready is to beg for an hatred caused by fear to be born.

And so in the silence the meal is eaten, I glance first at Kaa-chan then at Otou-san. Mother was eating slowly while looking forward, althought she didn't seem to be seeing anything, being so caught up by thoughts will do that to you. Father was like Mom, but for other reasons, I had a suspection that if Dad letted his habit to eat looking at his food appear at the present moment he would fall asleep while chewing.

It seemed like the lack of Itachi's present had brought a certain bad luck to the family, the last few days in Father's office had been as busy as it could be. Apparently there had been some kind of disagreement between the police and the civilian council on a murder case and the bar fights with disrespecful drunks was getting more and more frequent.

After dinner, Kaa-chan was the one that tucked me in while Otou-san checked the house. She didn't waited until I was asleep to leave, we all knew that I would stay awake for at least a few more hours and, by the looks of it, I wouldn't have Dad's company today.

I waited just enough to know everyone was no longer awake to get up, I thought about going to the roof and then to the balcony, but I didn't feel like going there, instead I went to the living room and sat beside the table, that had been put there only a few weeks ago because the weather had warmed up and so the kotatsu had been casted aside as the seasons changed.

I didn't opened the door to the balcony, Dad wouldn't like it was the reason I gave myself, looking back at the way I had came from.

The hallway was dark and empty, beside the entrance to the room I was currently in was a desk with a vase my Mother had been gifted by Father's mom on her wedding and a clock that was ticking the time away on top of a fancy gray cloth.

 _Tick tick._

My gut, somehow, seemed like it had been throw on ice and my instincts were telling me to run in a way that no longer could be ignored or confused with anything else.

I got up and made my way to the desk, with my back to the hallway and my hand on the cloth, I looked around ( searching for anything sign of danger or something to calm my fast beating heart).

 _Tick tick._

Suddently there was a person on the other side of the balcony door, I grabbed tighter the cloth.

It had to be an Uchiha, perhabs even Nii-chan ( because while he knew that mentally willing for his brother to come back earlier than what it had been anticipated was not a concret way to get him home soon, he had done it, maybe if i wish for it enough was his mind argument), to go through all the traps without activating any of them.

But his hand couldn't let go because, while his head was telling him that, his gut was telling something different.

 _Tick tick._

It happened fast, one moment he was struggling to breath as quiet as possible and the next the door was open.

But the person wasn't Nii-chan or an Uchiha, it was a person with brown hair, dark eyes and no hitai-ate.

I pulled in a breath to yell, but the warning was ripped out of me as the kunai met my lung, expelling all air from them and starting to fill them with the blood I started chocking on.

With the impact of the weapon, I flew back, taking the cloth, the vase and the clock with me. The shattering noise would wake Mom and Dad.

Almost as if he hadn't heard the noise, he went walking calmly to my side.

" This is a merciful killing." He said, bending to hold the kunai on my chest, and I looked on his eyes. They were as brown as his hair, and they were glassed over.

" Merciful." He repeted like a broken record, almost like... Like he was on a genjustu or hypnotized, particully by the sharingan. Madara. What the hell was hapenning?

Suddently, he jumped away, taking the kunai with him and making me grunt in pain. Because ninjas doesn't yell, Aniki said it, so it must be truth.

Father had never held a kunai in front of me, or activeted his sharingan for the matter. Now, thought, he was doing both.

He looked at me to check.. Something, for a second before turning to the enemy. Mother was there, putting pressure on my wound, I wanted to make her stop, that was making the pain to worse but my body wasn't listenning to me.

My mind was working in the speed of a turtle, but I willed it to work, there was something, something I was forgetting.

The kunai, there was a symbol ingraved in it. It seemed like... Like a hitai-ate. Shit, that was the symbol of Amegakure.

The night was turning darker. No, I was loosing consciousness.

Somewhere far away I heard my Mother call my name, tell me to stay awake and follow her instructions. I tried, I really did, but this body was not ready for this kind of fight and I succumbed to the dark.

My last thought was: this hadn't happened before, something was changing.

* * *

Again, sorry for taking so long. I'll try to post the next one faster, like in a month or so. PLEASE, tell me what you think! Review, loves.

Until next time, xoxo.


	7. Chapter 7

I'm so sorry! I tried to update in the one month I said that I would, but then the chapter just got bigger and bigger, and I didn't make it. I'm still not done but since I'm taking so long, I decided to cut the chapter in parts and in a week or so I'll post my biggest chapter yet. I hope you can forgive that way.

Anyway, let's begin.

* * *

"I'm not gonna eat this" I said the moment the good nurse closed the door behind her, leaving in the room only me and my family. Not because the nurse would cry if she heard it ( because she would, and frankly I didn't give a damn, the whole let's spend days in a hospital bed with horrible nurses and crappy food were doing wonders to my mood), but because she would tell the bad nurse and then that one would come at me with a needle and a Kakashi-style excuse, not to mention the speeches (oh the speeches) this is not going to hurt one bit (it hurt, you're breaking my skin over and over again because apparently after years in this line of work you can't find a vein in a healthy white as sheet boy; congratulations, you're a failure in the only thing you have invested in for years; and dumping a liquid that is not natural to my body) and it's not as big as you think (it is moron, I have eyes, the freaking needle is bigger than my arm, I could see it going through my entire arm and getting stuck on a muscle or bone, breaking and leaving me to stare at it in distress) but I was alive so I was fine, nothing to worry about. Except, maybe, infections.

This as I said was a grayish, turning yellow, substance that seemed like a soup. Almost, because there was little pieces of a not identified something (or some things, you really couldn't tell) in it, as if it hasn't been mixed right. And then I stabbed the thing with the given fork ( why, I mean why, would anyone give someone else a fork to eat an almost soup?). It was - solid. I lifted the fork and with it came the whole thing, literally. The entire content of the bowl stayed stuck on the fork, upside down with the shape of the container in which it was before.

I stared at it for a second, my mouth dropping slightly in disbelief, before turning my gaze to the wall in which my brother was leaning against, wincing a little at the light of the sun on my eyes that was coming from the window beside the left shoulder of Nii-Chan, and shaking my head slowly from one side to the other.

"This cannot be healthy." I continued, and that yearned me a twitch of lips that didn't reach brother's black eyes.

I sighed, put back the thing on the bowl and leaned back on the piece of cloth that everyone insisted on calling pillow.

He had been like that since the morning, a improvement, really, from the hovering pale mess he had been the two days previous. The depressing pale mess he was now was less likely to attack someone, so positive point to that.

Brother and Shi-Nii had came back on schedule, in other words, on the morning after I had been attacked. The news were actually delivered by the Hokage to them, by accident on a surprise tone while he asked why they weren't on the hospital.

After enough was said to clear up the thought that no the head of the village did not want his ninja to be injured, and yes your baby cousin (because Itachi wasn't doing the talking part obviously) was hurt and admitted to the emergency room at ungodly hour after being carried by his father, they raced toward the hospital.

Never before in my entire life of four years old or my past one had my brother seen me with mortal wounds, so I never knew what kind of face he would make but now that I have, I don't wish to see it again.

When they arrived at the hospital, forced to stop to ask for the room, they scared the welcoming nurse into a blabbering mess and made their way to room 543, on the fifth floor, with Shunshin no jutsu.

Only to see my mom waiting on the hall in front of the room, she was probably pale, because the reason she stepped out of the room was that the nurse had to clean the wound and so had to take off the bandages. Leaving to open sights a bunch of blood red and slightly purple tissues that were being held together by stitches and that seemed to be too much for her, even the ex-jounin inside of her was not enough to contain the motherly side that could not deal with her sons blood.

They didn't stopped to ask mother what was the problem, just barged in. And well, the scene wasn't comforting. I had a disagreement with the nurse, because clearly she wasn't going to put that big needle anywhere near my wound, even if it was to not make it hurt while she cleaned the wound. Just, well no. There's my line, I had putted my foot down and wasn't going to move.

And so, I fought. In my defense, fighting seemed like a really reasonable action. Unfortunately that pulled the stitches and made the wound to bleed again.

So basically the nurse was pulling me by the arm toward her with one arm while the other was too busy holding a needle and I was using my legs to keep her away from me (let's not use the term kicking).

And by the gods, the pain in my torso was blinding at best, it was making me out of breath (only explanation because I would not be proud if it was just a tired kind of out of breath).

One second I was pushing the big woman away, not feeling the tips of my fingers of the arm she was holding, and the next I was being supported by a hand on my back (and thank Kami for that because otherwise I would have flew back and fallen out of the bed).

They didn't press the nurse against the wall, one argument to not have them removed from the hospital. But they did throw her off her feet, thankfully thought she dropped the needle before her bottom collided with the floor, so it didn't get her hurt.

I didn't see Tachi-Nii expression at that moment, because he was standing in front of me, his hair coming undone but not quite in his usually neat ponytail and there was a gash on his right arm, the only signs that he had gone to a mission. There wasn't many doubts that he would pass the jounin test.

The hand on my back was my cousin's, his worried gaze was beyond what I've ever seen, even counting the time he took upon himself to teach me how to swim and threw me on the water while expecting me to flout, let's just say I didn't.

He helped me to return to a proper position on the bed with gentle hands, examining me with his eyes and then with his hands. When he got a little too close to the wound I couldn't contain a wince and a painfully groan.

"It hurts."

That was what it took for Aniki to turn around, his eyes couldn't decide if it would look at my face or my wound and kept flickering from one to the other, his hands seemed to be trying to clench but they stopped midway then proceeded to turn into a claw and then to a almost clench again. He looked angry, short of breath and a little bit crazy, but most of all terrified.

I've never seen him look even a little scared, not at horror stories Shisui-Nii told or the time a teenager tried to punch him, and so that became my second least favorite face on my brother, losing only to his crying face. That one I must had seen more than once in my life, but fortunately (or unfortunately depending on the point of view) I only remembered the time a few months back, when after a mission that took his teammates and gave him his Sharingan, he stayed up with me in the night and allowed me to mess thru his stuff, only to stop me in the middle of it to hug me and hold me like I was going to break and he had to prevent that from happening.

In the end the nurse cleaned the wound without anesthesia, she didn't had gentle hands (witch), and Nii-Chan's mood continued sour, even more when he discovered that the hospital allowed only one guest to stay thru the night with the patient and the one that would stay would be Father, because he couldn't be there in the working hours due to him being the Chief Police and having to deal with all the bureaucratic business that my attack created. I didn't comment on it but in the nights that followed I could feel someone's gaze on me from outside the window, and brother seemed more bad rested each passing day.

And like in a bang my thoughts were interrupted, actually, if we're being specific, with a bang. Since that was the noise the door made while being slammed open, and from it stepped first Naruto, seeing as he was the one to slam the door, and then Sakura, she was wearing a red dress and tight black pants that was not so far from her training wardrobe in the other life, of course this dress wasn't cut on the side giving her a more cute appearance.. for a outsider point of view, of course, or something.

I couldn't hold back a groan and to make my point I threw my head against the bed, because really? I hadn't planned on how to introduce my future teammates to my family, I thought perhaps just become a team and indicate to the members the blond and the pink haired one existed, but this, this was simply - my head can't wrap around words to describe this, it just can't.

"Oh great, because I thought that this couldn't get any worse." I said while moving to press the flesh right above the left eyebrow with my middle finger, because there was a headache developing there and I was sure as hell going to name it Narusaku.

* * *

There it is, I hope you liked it. Please leave a review! Also thank you so much for the one that have already left reviews and please tell me more of what you think. Guest that reviewed on chapter 3, I'm trying my best to correct that now, thank you for warning me.

Til next time, kisses.


	8. Chapter 8

Here it is, the promised chapter, on the clock. I almost can't believe it!

* * *

"Wow, aren't you just warm and fuzzy today?" Sakura replied before jumping to sit on my left side of the bed.

"That's because we came to visit him, you know Teme, if you wanted to us so badly you could just met us like always instead of being stabbed to grab our attention." Naruto jointed us on the space in front of us in the bed, forcing me to cross my legs close to me, because the right side was to occupied with all the machines and wires (I don't know what's the nurse deal with the right side, since it was the only side the putted the whole let's-survive stuff, but at least it allowed my dominant hand to be free).

I took a bit of air in (because too much made the wound hurt) to calm myself, but released quickly for fear that dumbness was passable by the air.

"How is that I'm so unlucky as to have you two breathing in the same planet as I am?"

"Well, according to karma it's a high probability that you've have done some marvelous deed in your past life to be worthy of my splendid self, as for Naruto - well, that's on you, you're the one who decided to talk to him. But of course, there's the fact that you tried to stop this predicament a couple nights ago and the result means that no matter how you try to escape from your award, in the end you can't."

"..probalili..marvous…slendii..predicaa..awaard.." Naruto mumbled while holding his head, trying to grasp the meaning of the big words with wide eyes that moved from side to side as if reading some invisible thing.

"Now, look what you've done. You've broke him." I said seriously turning back to her, but I could feel my lips twitching. She snored.

"Sasu-Chan, who are they?"

Sakura sat up rigidly and turned red (she believed in good manners down to her very soul), Naruto just turned toward Okaa-San and smiled.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, nice to meet you!" he said with a megawatt smile, drawing a amused one from Mother.

"And I'm, un, Sakura Haruno. Nice to meet you." she said ducking her head, voice down, tips of her ears red and fingers playing with the hem of her dress.

While observing Sakura, Mother's smile turned into a more adoring one and I remembered the time Otou-San told me that she always wanted to have a girl, but with difficulty that was to raise two children she decided to not try for a third.

Finishing the introductions Naruto started entertaining Mother, Onii-Chan and Shi-Nii by freaking out about our similarities and Sakura scooted over to be closer me, trying to hide in plain sight.

 _I thought you weren't shy._

Already flushed on my side it wasn't much hard to see me signing or to turn to whisper in my ear, even thought it was incredibly more likely for my family to spy on the talk this way I somehow didn't mind, I was already tired and it would only get worse by having to concentrate on reading signs. But as precaution, as she opened her mouth to talk I turned slightly as to cover part of her face to the rest of the room.

"I'm not, but I was so rude, mama would ground me if she knew-" at that I had to bite my inferior lip to not smirk, a flashback from the other life passing quickly behind my eyes. The pink haired girl older, with a familiar fire in her eyes, destroying everything on her way with her fists. Suddenly it seemed ridiculous that she had anything to fear, but then I remember she was still four and hadn't that much force yet. Besides, a epiphany came to me, if her mother is anything like herself in the other life, then her fear is probably justified.

"-and mama said that if I'm rude the other person isn't going to like me, so your mom must hate me now, I don't want thaat, I want everyone to like me." she continued, oblivious to my moment of distraction.

 _My mother doesn't hate you, by the look in her face she probably wants to pinch your cheeks,-_ warm breath of her relief sigh met my neck and a shiver climbed all through my back- _so stop your whining. And really? Everyone? You know that's impossible right?_

I could feel her eyes rolling.

"I know, ok then let me rephrase that. I want everyone that I can't punch to like me."

 _Much better, now that's reasonable._

"So.." came the voice of Naruto, apparently he stopped tormenting my family to interrupt my talk with Sakura, I could see in his eyes a devil look and I knew where this was going so I narrowed mine.

"No."

"But-"

"Don't even think about it." I finished my warning rolling my eyes, he had the audacity of sounding surprised.

But, of course, that couldn't be the end, because when one gave up the other comes to ruin everything.

"Sasu-Chan, huh?" at that I don't quite can hold back a annoyed groan and not even glancing at them I answer. All the while gritting my teeth, because I could hear the repressed laugh coming from mother and cousin's location and I could see my brother biting his inter cheeks with a smile on his face. Really, of all the things that could have made him laugh he choose this?

"You have no room to talk about that, your mom calls you 'my little flower princess'."

At that she blushed and Naruto forgot his intentions to tease me and began laughing at the girl, making me remember the time we discovered the nickname. We were going home after a training and studying session, and we were a little closer than usual to the family when they reunited. Given, I didn't hear a thing. But Naruto did and started laughing so hard that he doubled over, apparently his audition is really good, and I demanded to know what he was laughing about, and he told me.

"How do you know that!"

"You and your mother are not quite as you think you are."

"Ugh."

"Squirt, why didn't you told us you made friends? We would want to meet them before."

Two heads quickly turned to me, but I balanced slowly my head in a warning motion and they didn't say anything. I felt my eyebrow twitch because I saw my cousin's mouth tremble at - right there! Damn it Shisui! You're doing on purpose!

"Friends?" Sakura asked with a question mark on her face at the same time Naruto with thumbs up and a smile said "Besties."

"No."

"What! You don't like me?"

" Don't be offended by that Naruto, Sasuke doesn't like anybody. Also, Sasuke, put your eyebrow back down, I can feel it mocking me."

I like my family just fine, Sakura, thank you very much.

"No! We're totally best friends for life, meant to hold hands and skip over rainbows till the end of days!"

"Ugh, huh?" was the intelligent response of Sakura to that before moving slowly away from the blond. Meanwhile I could only blink, because, really, he could be that stupid.

"Wow, un, there's was so much wrong in that sentence that I'll pretend I didn't hear it." I managed to choke out, then turned to Sakura, after all, she seemed to be the sanest option at the moment (besides my family, but they had done some kind of pact to embarrass me today and that could not do).

And because he just couldn't let me keep my peace of mind, Naruto started talking and talking and Kami I don't think he's going to stop.

"He literally never stops talking."

At that Sakura turns to Naruto, roll her eyes (almost fondly) and then turn back at me.

"You're being rude." she comments in a light voice, like she doesn't care, and maybe she doesn't. Maybe the no-rude-things rule she lives by only apply to herself.

"So."

"Sasuke." the warning tone came from Okaa-San.

I stopped smirking. And because mothers have a supernatural ability to pass a message in a single word and compel you to do their bidding, I did as I was told.

"Sorry."

...

He had seen his Otouto take his firsts steps, fall into his lap for lack of balance and smile like a adorable buffoon. Cry whenever someone decided to take him in their arms and away from his own. Get frustrated at him for dismissing play time, even thought he had promised a later before. Get scared of nightmares more times than he cares to admit and even seen him get a glint in his eyes that indicated a maturity and intelligence not usually detected on a four year old child.

But Itachi had never seen his baby brother get along with someone that was not from the clan, not that he would use the term 'get along' to describe the interaction the three children had, or behave the way he was.

When Sasuke talked he was playful, harmless, upright, sometimes simply adorable and, well, like himself really. Watching him speak now was like looking at a unknown creature. Wit, intent to hurt, anger laced answers, indifference stares and warnings with a promise of punishment in the glint of the eye were not something he ever imagined his cute brother could be able to grasp. Even so, they were all there.

And that scared him. Not nearly as much as the thought of his brother not being safe, out of harm's way, alive or anything in between. But nothing could ever compare to the feeling of the raw terror that was to think his brother was hurt and he hadn't been there to protect him, or to help him, and maybe he would die or have a everlasting problem physically or mentally because he was so little and so freaking delicate, so any comparison to that was irrelevant. It scared him more than a upcoming kunai, and just as much as the thought of Sasuke suffering thru the pain of acquiring the Sharingan, of seeing something die inside his brother's eyes because he love him, so damn much. And he would never stop, no matter what Sasuke decided to do, what he became or how he became.

Just when he thought he would have to interrupt and do something about it, because his brother was not behaving like himself, he saw something glint in his brothers eyes. It was - amusement. His brain stopped functioning, not being able to completely grasp what was going on right there.

His brother, in the past few days in the hospital, had been moody. Yes, Sasuke had tried to make them happy and had smiled gently when he saw that one of them was not feeling comfortable with something related to him (or more specific the stab wound), like when Mother stepped out of the room not to see it or Shisui growled at the nurse the time she got too heavy handed while cleaning the wound because Sasuke said something not particularly funny, also to me from time to time. Like he was checking on me, to see if I was ok, which was enormously ironic, seeing as he was the one on the hospital bed. But he had been moody nonetheless, pouting to no end, glaring at the walls at times and always with some snarky remark to everything that he most of the time kept to himself.

So when the two kids barged in the room he indeed expected a rude dismissal (and subconsciously he knew that was not right and Sasuke probably deserved a scolding for it but Sasuke wasn't the only one in a bad mood) but he also expected tears, apologies for coming in a wrong room and running away, not a comeback that showed how used they were to each other.

His brother had been secretive for a while but it never occurred to him that the secret between them was friends. Mostly because there would be no judgment toward him for it, seeing as even Mother was constantly worrying that her younger child was always inside the house and never with someone of his age (not that her older one was that much better since he was often surrounded by older kids, but at least there were kids at all).

Their behavior was odd and it threw mixed signals all around. They spit offensive sentences to each other and then moved like they were one. Or said they weren't friends, and that got him thinking that maybe they really weren't, maybe they were more, because when the blond one, that Mother took him to visit as a baby in the orphanage, began drawing attention to himself with jumps at the end of the bed, flapping arms and really loud comments that went on like 'same eyes, skin and nose' 'Teme, I bet they can do the exact same judgy look you do' his brother and the girl became caught up in themselves, shoulder to shoulder, leaning in toward each other and speaking in hushed tones and hidden languages.

In the talk his brother didn't open his mouth, only covered hers. It didn't occurred to him that Naruto was distracting them to let them talk until the small boy take a glance at Sasuke's currently twitching fingers for the last time before starting speaking to them, that action also made him realize that the twitching fingers weren't involuntary movements but some method of communication (however odd as it was, since what kind of person creates a sign language? And the answer is paranoid, mad, genius. None of them was something Itachi wished Sasuke to be).

So when Itachi was starting to think that the afternoon would be a endless cycle of little strokes, the children went back to a normal level size of bickering and teasing. That Mother must have not understood because at some point she made Sasuke apologize. Apologize he did, but as he did it his eyes turned glassy and indifferent. Showing that he really didn't meant it and making him seem like those broken ninja he encountered, who followed all rules and orders without question because they didn't have a conscious nor a will or strength. And suddenly a flame of hate was ignited in his chest toward the woman, how dare she turn his baby brother into a copy of shattered people?

But even with a grand distaste for her actions, or rather the effect of her actions, there was nothing he could actually do. He had been raised by her and knew he had to respect his elders, for his clan that meant lowering your head, keeping your mouth shut and sometimes agreeing with nonsense. So the room settled into a awkward silence until the girl made a theatrical 'aha!' while reaching for something inside of the bag she was wearing across her upper body.

As her hand emerged from the purse it came with a book, a huge book. One that he already knew. At this point he was obligated to, really. The textbook was a reunion of over a thousand pages that explained various contents, that went from how to calculate the obliquity of a weapon trajectory to the location of each organ on a human.

He really didn't understand why his brother's friend, one that was (probably) as young as the baby of the family, had the last mandatory textbook of the academy.

"We were doing exercises yesterday, since _someone_ didn't show, and found a really hard one." she said while opening the huge thing in the bookmark, that was located past the middle.

"Have a look at it" complimented the blond one as she placed the book on Sasuke's lap.

He did, his head was tilted downward, hair obstructing the view of his eyes toward anyone looking and his mouth was pressed in a thin line in concentration.

He lifted his hand and there was a pen in it, one that Itachi had not seen where had come from. With almost no hesitation, the object started writing in a Uchiha style elegance penmanship.

Quickly, the question on his head turned from 'who taught him to write' to 'how did everyone miss the child's development in the calligraphy' ( because no normal four year old child writes like that, Uchiha or not) and finally to 'how did his baby brother know the way to solve a question meant for nearly graduated ninjas'.

"Why did you do that?" Sakura-san asked, not taking her eyes of the book.

"The coordinate P is on 1/3 and 1/4, and so we need…"

Feeling the weight of a gaze I tune out the explanation and turned to Shisui, who in turn gave me a 'what the hell' look and I shrugged in response.

With my attention back to them, I noticed that the scene had changed. The girl was nodding enthusiastically, smiling while talking about derive and empirical method. Sasuke was looking calmly at her, lips twitching when her voice got louder in her excitement and fingers moving as the pen spun in them.

As he got a better look at it, his confusion only grew. It was his, he usually used to write his reports and so always left it on top of his desk in his room ( always, because he was a creature of habit). Itachi hadn't brought it to the hospital and no one had a reason to, as far as he know. Mother wouldn't have a reason to use it, Father and Shisui had their own. Besides that, he had seen the pen resting on top of the report as he left in the morning and he would have known if someone had messed thru his stuff.

Of the whole room only the pair engrossed by math was not looking confused, even the blond was giving them weird looks.

"Squirt, how do know all this?" Shisui interrupted the conversation with a hesitating tone, as if he was scared to know the answer.

"Wasn't I suppose to know this already?" came the reply in a bewildered tone.

"No! That's what I've been telling you guys all along!" the blond one butted in the talk, angry.

As a response to that, his brother and the girl turned to each other and exchanged a look that clearly showed that to them that made no sense.

Unfortunately, before anyone got to explain, calmly, that knowledge don't just simply appear in one's head or ask how they had gotten the book the door was opened, this time gently, by a nurse. Who's smile vanished the moment her scanning eyes landed on the blond.

The woman took her sweet time to step away from the door, when she did, her steps were stiff and fast, as if to get it over with, like taking off a bandage at one go. While checking his vitals, she stood facing the bed and with the machine between the children and her. At this point Naruto was leaving the bed with his head down, out of the bed ,the little boy and girl, held hands. The pink haired one, silently supporting the blond, turned her head to gaze at his brother, who was already looking at her.

Something must have passed thru their eyes because by the time his baby brother turned his gaze to the distracted nurse looking at the wound, to be sure that there was no infection, his eyes was cold and the girl was displaying a feral grin to match her angry eyes.

But that look quickly vanishes as she turns to the blond, becoming a gentle mischief, and pushes without strength the boy toward the door. Then she makes her way to the right side of the bed and draw the attention of the nurse by pulling her coat, then proceeds to talk. Somehow, Itachi know shit has hit the fan when the subject of the talk is not the unjust way the woman treated the blond but something about age, hair and jobs. Not that he's paying attention.

Because the moment the nurse turns to face the girl, and consequently her back to his brother, the boy sits up straight and starts pickpocketing the woman, who remains oblivious as Sasuke takes a lot wires of suture and a syringe of her pocket and holds in his hand. After analyzing the items for a few seconds he snaps the needle off the syringe and places the sharp object with the wires in one hand after putting back the now harmless one in the place that he had took it from.

Then Sasuke swiftly pulled the table of the bed, wrapped the little objects in a napkin, covered it with another one and went back to his previous position, before cleaning his throat. Drawing the nurse's attention to himself and the girl slowly made her way to the door.

"Can you get me a glass of water?" the pink haired girl, already by the door, just stopped and stood there as the nurse nodded and made her way to the right corner of the room, where was located the desk in which the jar of water and plastic cups laid.

Sasuke slid his left hand on top of the napkin containing the stolen things by the table in a fast move and at the end of the table he lift a little his hand, with the help of the momentum the thing flew out of his hand and into the girl's. The nurse got a cup filled with water, and missing the little throwing show, turned back and went back to his brother's side. Stopping beside the machines and handing the cup to the boy, who took a small sip and placed the object on the table with a little smile.

"Thanks." his brother said while placing his arms on the table, making the cup tumble off the tabletop and the water inside of it fall on the floor.

"Sorry." Came immediately the apology but the nurse only cursed and grabbed a handful of napkins before bending down.

In a flash the girl jumped to action, unfolding the objects, giving all but one wire to the blond, dropping to the floor for the purpose of tying one end of the wire to the foot of the desk, that is near the entrance, and attaching the other one to the needle, throwing the sharp object in the opposite wall. Efficiently creating a trip trap.

In the first weird move the kids had done, the older ones in the room got curious and decided to watch the unfolding. Cold indifference laced with fear was no such way to treat a child and they were ninja, therefore not against a good retaliation, so they kept quiet as things got strange and their subconscious feelings got uneasy for the results.

Surprise was not a sufficiently strong word to describe the feeling of seeing the blond little boy perform a B-rank jutsu and make fifteen Shadow Clones, after the delicate looking girl throw an almost senbon like a professional, only to get glared at by Sasuke, that seemed to be trying to say 'seriously!'.

Naruto just shrugged and lifted his eyebrows back in a universal expression of 'what else can I do?'. That silently talk got interrupted when Sasuke took another look at the nurse and saw that she was holding several drenched papers, the floor spotless, and was starting to get up.

Sakura matched her hair, Naruto the white wall, Sasuke pressed his lips together and looked at his right arm. Itachi's train of thought went from 'he wouldn't' to 'he did' in less than a second as he saw his baby brother move abruptly the arm full of wires to the opposite direction of the machines, making the said things tip and start to fall on top of the nurse, who proceeded to struggle with the amount of objects tumbling down at the same time.

Taking advantage of the once again created diversion, Naruto hands the wires to one of the clones and the littlest Uchiha actives his two tomoe sharingan and teleports all clones somewhere else with a spiral.

Itachi doesn't pay enough attention to their chakra signal to figure out where they went, he's too wrapped around the image of his baby brother with blood red eyes staring ahead.

Deep shock settles in and Itachi watches, mute, as the nurse got her shit together and checked on Sasuke's arm, then fixed it. Since it was bleeding and the needles attached to wires, that were part of the machines, that were supposed to be in his brother's arm were almost completely out.

Taking the paler than normal complexion in, the nurse asked how Sasuke felt.

"I feel like puking."

To those that saw how the child had used his eyes, the news weren't a surprise. Nausea was a side effect of using too much chakra. Any normal four year old would have passed out by now - actually, the child wouldn't had pass out, but that was because the kid wouldn't have been able to perform the same thing Sasuke had.

But the nurse hadn't seen his actions, so she checked his vitals again, told him that it must be the pain and reached toward the pain button. Only to have it reaped it off her hands by the patient.

"No, I'm perfectly fine." then proceeded to exchange a look with the pink haired girl.

The girl, since some time already on her feet, ushered the blond toward only kind woman in the room and quickly, from where she was standing close to the trap, took some steps back. Then dropped to the floor again, however, as she settled on the ground her eyes filled with water and a cry spilled from her lips.

The weeping made the nurse give up on arguing with the boy about the painkillers, instead she goes to the aid of the crying girl.

Itachi sees how Sasuke relaxes as the nurse steps away from him and the medications, when he also sees the wet lashes of the girl meet in wink that is send to his brother over the head of the nurse (that is foolishly checking the girl knees for bruises or scraps) his only thought is 'what in the name of the gods is wrong with this kids?'.

But the crying distraction could only last for so long, and as soon as the nurse got the girl to calm down, to see that her fall had not hurt her, the woman stood up, looked around and told the room that the patient was fine and she had to be excused because she had a schedule to follow.

Before the woman could take even one step towards the door, the girl beside her latched herself on the woman's arm and started whining for the woman to stay just a tiny bit more. the nurse separated herself from the girl and told that no, she really couldn't stay any longer with a smile and a twitching eyebrow, that allowed her annoyance to show.

Sasuke turned to the only blond in the room, who was viciously shaking his head from one side to the other, and his body sagged in a silently groan.

"Yukio-san?" Itachi would reason with himself that the nurse's name was probably on her lab coat and that he hadn't paid one bit of attention to the woman herself to figure out her name and his brother most likely just read the name out of the coat, that is if he could process anything other than the look his brother was giving the nurse.

If any of those in the room tried to describe the look (and some did try), they founded that they could not. It was simply impossible. It wasn't just a innocent or cute or beautiful kind of look, it was a mix of all that with so much more and the lovely features of the boy only seemed to help amplify the looks effect.

"Y-yes?" came a breathless response.

"Come here, please?" he continue, and lifted his left arm as a invitation to the nurse, who walked toward the bed and took his brother's hand in her own.

By the time his brother guided the woman to stand in front of a chair, she was already flushed and with a lovestruck expression on her face. But then he smiled, and the woman's knees became insufficient to hold her own body up. She actually swoons before crashing into the chair.

There she stays, distracted by Sasuke's smiles and words, for indeterminate amount of time. Until Naruto gives a little nod and his brother, loses the smiles and the look, and rudely snaps at the nurse. Who, in turn, gets up in a jump while looking at the clock and quickly makes her way to the exit.

Her feet catches the trap on her way, but she only slightly trips, just a little stumble that leaves her looking back at the floor behind her, searching for what has made her trip, not that she was able to see the thin wire from so far away.

Like that she opens the door and - trips again. This time she hits the ground and that is accompanied by the sound of splashes. The woman turns to look back inside the room, with disbelief, her whole figure dripping in orange paint and miso ramen, before running to her left (probably to get clean up).

"Un, what just happened?" being the first one to gather his wits, Shisui was the one to ask the hanging question.

"She fell in our prank." answered Naruto, smiling proudly, as the other two kids avoided eye contact.

"Why?"

"Because she was an-"

"He meant why did we pull a prank on her, baka." interrupted the girl, who stopped avoiding eye contact and now wore a little smile, taking control of the conversation

"And the answer to that is- well, dobe doesn't like being treated like that."

"But since she didn't know him, we decided to let her know what Naruto does like, and that includes the color orange and ramen."

Sasuke sighed.

"I almost feel bad for her." to that, the girl turned to face the boy in the bed and gave him a understanding smile.

"Yeah, orange really is a horrible color."

"Hey!"

They went back to their little quarrelling, leaving the older ones staggered and slightly proud, at least in Mikoto's case, that is. She had been close friends with Kushina, had discussed the names of their babies with the woman, had visited the newborn child who had marks in his cheek that proved him to be the jinchuriki of the nine tails and knew the feelings of a mother that had their baby wronged, no woman deserved to see their child suffer, even from beyond the grave.

Thankfully, no more rude nurse come in and no more pranks are pulled in the remaining time the children spend in the room, bickering. By the time they open the door to leave, the sun is setting and the floor is spotless (the cleaning staff should really get a raise).

"We'll come again tomorrow." Sakura announced, holding the door open.

"Don't feel like you have to come back," Sasuke groaned back "I can live without you bothering me."

"Can you, really?" and "Don't lie." was the last thing exchanged between them before the door was quickly closed.

Later, Father would arrive at the hospital and Mother would pull him aside to tell the events of the day, Sasuke would make his first request while in the hospital- to let Nii-Chan sleep with him tonight. Father didn't oppose and gave no explanation for that either. Instead, he asked how did Sasuke got his Sharingan.

It came as a surprise, not that the second tomoe activated in the attack, but that the first one was a production of a nightmare (well, kind of). Fugaku had never seen anything like that happening but he couldn't deny that it was possible, the Sharingan was triggered by trauma, yes, but in the end all of that was measured by the brain that gave the final push to the Kekkei Genkai to awaken when there was enough endorphin and not enough serotonin.

Deep inside the older man was fear, both of his sons were too gentle for the world, if his younger one had reacted that way to a nightmare the father couldn't imagine how a ninja's life would do to him.

Soon enough the visitors hours ended and in the room only stayed the two brothers. If Itachi had been silently, closed off and simply a mess before- well, then there was no more words Sasuke could describe his older brother now. A worried Itachi was one that could not rest without taking care of the one he was worried about, after all the nights Sasuke turned to him for comfort after the bad dreams he wasn't going to deny Itachi the peace of mind that came in the form of fussing.

The older brother was astonished that his baby brother could find in himself some kind of emotion or motivation to manipulate someone (simply because he had never seen anything in the younger boy to make him certain that he was able of such), yes, but that didn't really matter to him. The only reason he didn't want his baby brother to embrace the world of the shinobi was because he cherished the boy too much, he didn't want to see the hurt when the truth was discovered, that their profession wasn't all that safe and rescue but maim and do as you're told. But by the end of the whole manipulation thing, his brother still looked and smiled the same, there was a reassurance as good as any he would get.

Seeing the Sharingan in his little brother's eyes, though, had affected him in a way very few things did. He had known the nightmares had changed his brother. He should have realized the seriousness of that. Should have helped somehow. He was his big brother for Kami's sake, was he so engrossed by unimportant things that he had neglected his own baby brother?

The little boy asked for him to sleep in the bed with him, and Itachi didn't have the heart or the will to tell the boy no. So in matter of seconds, since a nurse (not the one the three kids had pranked) had came earlier and had cleaned the little boy (and left the older one to fend for himself, which he was immensely grateful for), they were sharing the too big of a bed (for Sasuke at least).

It didn't take long for the littlest one to fall asleep wrapped around in the biggest one arms, who stayed awake for the next few hours with only a promise in his head. In the night the Kyuubi had been released, he told the crying baby in his arms he didn't have a reason to cry, because his Aniki was there and would never let anything happen to him. And with each passing second in his baby brother's presence that urge to shelter the boy only grew. Sasuke was Sasuke, not because of his innocence or smiles, but because he simply was. Maybe it was selfish of him to promise to protect someone just because he was born in the right family and in the right time, but for Sasuke he could be selfish. And so in the dead of night, while petting the spiky but soft hair of the child in his arms to calm himself, he whispered to the sleeping boy his new resolve.

"I'll protect you, brother, no matter what, and everything you hold dear, for as long as I draw breath and, if possible, after then too."

* * *

There you go. And REVIEW damn it all, how am I suppose to know you are all liking the story without them?

Like I said, this chapter is my biggest one yet. Over six thousand words, can you believe it? I almost can't!

Okay then...

Til next time, kisses.


	9. Chapter 9

Okaay, here's another one and it's almost a miracle! I didn't get late! YAY! I almost can't believe it.

Well, I hope you like it and review, pleaseeee.

Lots of love.

* * *

The Uchiha Clan was, since the beginning, a secluded and closed off one. With everyone, more so at outsiders than with members, but with the members nonetheless. So it's not a real surprise that the celebrations (and there was celebrations, contrary to popular belief, because after all they were ninja and not celebrate another year not being killed is just asking to jinx it) of birthdays were little things with a small group of close family, and the rest just gave your gift (usually a weapon or a book that in the future would save your ass) in the following days. It wasn't really tradition, more like a habit, one that fitted perfectly the Clan's general personality.

But by the time my birthday came, Mother and Shi-Nii are really attached to my future teammates and so they are invited to be a part of a slightly more special dinner at his home. We eat a meal I don't really notice the name or ingredients, because there are so many tomatoes on it and it's so good that I think I should do something for Mother, like, give her the world.

While Okaa-san is getting the cake I'll blow the candles and not eat (because it's sweet and sweet things suck), somehow, the topic turns to birthdays. Naruto chokes in his water as we discover that Sakura is almost a year younger than us. The talk is interrupted by the cake and the celebrations continued.

But at night, when we should be sleeping (because they decided to have a sleep over and did I mentioned that my family is really attached to them?), instead, we talk.

"Why did you had to go and be born so late?" came the whisper from my left.

"I don't think I really had a hand in the matter."

"Even so! What's going to happen when me and Teme here enter the academy and we don't get to be in the same year?!"

Quite the predicament, but not one I was really worried about, since in the other life- well, better to start thinking for a way, since many things seem to be changing.

"I can try to advance a year when I start.."

Is that what she did before? Could it work again? Even if it did, if there was a uprising in my Clan, there's no way we could do anything while being in the academy.

"But! It's going to one whole year without you in our class… Maybe I could ask Jiji." The Hokage? He could do something. Though, not for free like the dobe thought he would. What could he want from children? "Teme? A hand if you will?"

"Hn." What could we give him?

"Seriously? Great, nothing from him." Except the promise that we would be great, but that required proof. Maybe if…

"Oh quiet, dobe. It's not like you talking is helping us in any way."

"Yeah?! Well, at least I am-"

"You got a look."

I fight down any twitching my lips tried to make.

"A look."

"A wicked one, you got a plan."

"Finally."

"Mmhm. So here's what we need to do.."

…

"Well, don't you guys look rested." Shi-Nii's sarcastic comment was what welcomed us as we entered the kitchen, rubbing eyes and stumbling slightly (the last part was completely Sakura's fault, who tripped Naruto while we were leaving the room on purpose and started a game of who-can-trip-who).

We hadn't gotten much sleep, so caught up in the plans that we didn't realized the time had passed. We- actually, Sakura and I- thought it was better not to sleep in and just try to make the plan work as soon as possible.

"Mmm." was his only reply, that came from Naruto. Who was the one that looked the most tired, I didn't know if I should be glad that there was a time in the day that he was not energetic or worried that in the future, while in missions, this would make him a liability.

Sakura, the polite one of us, didn't opened her mouth to talk until she was truly awake. For her brain did not work enough to do that or because she would only spell rude things, I don't know. I would bet on the latter, if her devilish behavior in early mornings was anything to go by. And I simply didn't feel like answering.

We took our places in the table (and it felt weird to even think about it, that they had places in my family's table). My Father was already at one head of the table, Mother and Brother at each side and Shi-Nii in the process of sitting at Onii-san's side.

I sat beside Mother, Naruto in between me and Sakura at the other head of the table. And I would have liked to have a quiet and calm breakfast, but of course I couldn't. Naruto just had to kick me, accidently or not. He did it and didn't apologize.

So I kicked him back, which made his leg bump with Sakura's. Soon enough the three of us were swinging legs and it was known to me and Sakura that it was dobe's fault, so in one move I hooked my foot in one of the legs of the idiot's chair and pulled, feeling the weight getting lighter as Sakura's foot pulled too.

A loud thud was followed by a exchange of satisfied smirks, yells and a enquire (which was answered with false innocent filled looks). The food is eaten and they are already out of the door, Mother shouts something about Sakura's parents picking her up before dinner and the door is closed, they had work to do.

…

It's high into the afternoon when we let ourselves be caught by a Anbu with gray anti-gravitation hair (irony, no such thing), who picks us up by the back of our shirts (as if we were cats) and takes us, with no pit-stops, to the Hokage tower.

Sarutobi is waiting for us, pipe at hand and serious face that softens slightly by Naruto's presence. The door is closed behind us and the Anbu, having disappeared in the second we set foot in the room, no longer by our side.

The said room was very well illuminated, of course, because of the various windows in wall behind the old man. The windows, showed a great view of a lot of houses, stores and the faces of the Hokages, which were now full of several colors. In our defense, the paint would dissolve with water.

"Explain yourselves." the tone was serious, but only to an extent. He seemed like a mad grandfather, there wasn't even any bloodlust (like, not at all, even Father showed a little when scolding me when I interrupted too much Onii-Chan's studies). The Hokage really went easy on dobe.

"Mm, explain.. Well, like, why and stuff?" replied Naruto, waiting for the short nod to continued. "We got bored."

"Bored?" the old man repeated, as if he grasp the meaning of the word.

"Yep." Sakura affirmed, sending a sugar filled smile before continuing. "And so we needed your attention."

At that, the man straighten up, took another drag of smoke and asked why.

"Because we want to enter the academy." the dobe began.

"Together." Sakura complimented.

"Now." I finished, so he could understand that it could not be in a couple years time.

"And let me guess, be put in the same team." Sarutobi said, in a soft amused tone. And the room got flooded by a air that screamed a duh-of-course.

"You three know that's against all procedures." he continued in a harsh tone looking into Naruto's eyes, ignoring the nods at the not-question. "Normally, your family should submit a request for the child, of at least six years old, to take a test to see if he or she can get in at the beginning of the semester. You're asking to just enter at the ending, so why should I?"

As expected, Naruto start to stutter and freak, and Sakura comes between them.

"Not 'just enter', we did one test. One harder than any other kid did in the academy, I doubt they make one do what we did today and, even if they one day did, they would get the same result as us. We performed a master piece and then evaded most shinobi off duty, Anbu included, for over six hours, the only reason we allowed ourselves to get caught was because we got a curfew and because we needed to talk to you, of course."

"Hai, hai. And if we were at war time I would have already putted you three in the field, but we're not in a war. We don't need children advancing quickly." the man spoke, as if talking about the weather, not about hypothetically sending us to our imminent death (despise it all, I knew what war meant).

"Just because you don't need them doesn't mean you don't get them. We want to learn and we will, one way or another. We're asking you to let it be supervised, because what do you think will happen when we advance to bigger ninjutsu or seals?" at that the Hokage flinched but didn't interrupt. "We may not be at war, but that doesn't mean that there isn't a lack of ninjas for the amount of missions inside and outside of the village. My parents are in the civilian council, so I know this to be true." her parents were what? I turned to face her, not quickly, as to not draw attention to myself, but I was surprised nonetheless. I knew I should have been more interested in her life.

"Make us a experiment and we'll show you just how far we'll go. We will become a team that represents our village." I said, knowing that the end of the conversation was coming closer, drawing his attention from Sakura to me.

"Represent the village, huh? The last team that did that was the Sannin, do you believe you can level them? Acting as you are?" the tone of voice of the man was not mocking, but a mix of serious and challenging. It was the question, not the tone, though, that made me remember our power in the other life. I already made a vow not to let anything happen to my family, for that I needed power. Power that I would get, no matter what I had to do or how disrespectful, manipulative and plain rude I had to behave. So I answered honestly.

"Of course, besides all legends have a unusual path. How do you like ours so far?"

…

We managed to get home five minutes and twenty seconds before Sakura's parents, and that because we went home flying on the rooftops. We had come to a agreement with the Hokage. He would let us in the academy in the beginning of August if me and Sakura could get the approval of our parents, since technically he was the guardian of Naruto and so he agreed to him starting the academy. The test to become gennin were in the middle of September, three weeks after the normal exams. So we have three weeks to theoretically pick up the subject matter and then other three to know everything. Easy, we already did know everything. Not that they know that, but still. And as long as we keep pleasing him with our results, we got to be a team.

"I hope my daughter behaved herself…" Sakura's father said, his large body and wild purple-ish hair contrasting with his soft smile.

"Of course, she always does. It's a delight to have her over." Mother replied yearning smiles from both mother and father of Sakura. The woman, while smiling, petted gently Sakura's hair. How platinum and purple equals pink, I don't know.

We were standing by the door, saying the usual polite words of goodbye and I was getting tired of just standing there. Not soon enough the Haruno family went home, taking along Naruto, whom they would walk into his apartment (apparently there still was some good people who didn't fear or hate the blond boy) before making their way home.

I lifted my hand in a parting gesture when they started getting out of my house, Sakura did the same and stole a glance at me, in a reminder. The starting point of our plan was in our hands. I nodded back, I knew it already and by the end of the night, the scroll that was beneath my pillow would be signed by my Father. I would make sure of it.

With them gone and the dinner not yet ready, Mother would go to the kitchen, Brother and Cousin to Onii-Chan's room to complete the report, and Father would go to his office.

Everyone started moving to their destination and I followed Father, he remained quiet just for the time needed to make sure we were out of the others hearing distance.

"Yes, Sasuke?"

"I need to talk to you."

He nodded as if he had figured as much and soon we were in his office, he sat at one side and I in front of him. I activated the Sharingan to conjure the scroll of the enrollment to the academy and there it was in my hand, taking only a bit of chakra in return. It was getting easier.

"I have been meaning to ask you about that." he said to me and I knew that with that many words he expected an explanation to the ability. But I could only shrug, I knew it was a ability of the Mangekyou Sharingan but I didn't know how I could use it since I didn't have the eyes to do it (I checked).

"Don't know, I just will it and the thing I'm thinking of appears to me."

He sighed to that answer, but said no more of that matter.

"What did you need?"

"Here." I said, handing to him the scroll.

Silence took over the room as Father read the content of the paper in his hand.

"We already got the approval of the Hokage for everything, you just need to sign."

An eyebrow was raised.

"We?"

"Minna, dinner is ready!" came Mother's voice from the kitchen, but neither of us moved to get up.

"Me, Sakura and Naruto."

"I see." and from his tone of voice he saw a lot more than I, his gaze had returned to the scroll in front him but he lifted to meet my before continuing. "Is this what you really want?"

"Hai."

Silence settle in again and Father's gaze didn't move, his eyes looking for something in mine before sighing and looking again at the scroll.

"Alright." he said and grabbed the pen on the desk, signing quickly before rolling close the scroll and then giving it to me while getting up.

We were already out of the office when he asked when my classes would start.

"Beginning of August."

He nodded in reply and continue walking toward the kitchen, I walked by his side. Not turning to look every time I felt his gaze on my face, and suck in a breath, as if he was going to say something but didn't. This process was repeated a few times until we reached the kitchen, when he seemed to decided to clasp his hand on my shoulder for a second or two before making his way to his sit.

Everyone was already on their sits, waiting. They seemed surprised that me and Father were together, but no one asked. That didn't matter, though, soon enough they would all know. I took my seat and the meal began not long after. I ignored Otou-san's glances, looking at my plate while I ate. Not in shame or anything of the sort, more like apprehension. I could barely wait for tomorrow to hear the reply that Sakura got.

"So, Sasu-Chan.. Did you do anything interesting today? Anything to tell me?" Mother asked me, looking at me and- she knew.

"Un.. Mmm, well..."

Brother and Shi-Nii must have know from other ninjas or from Okaa-San (she must have gotten the visit while I was talking with Otou-San, and curse you Hiruzen, couldn't you keep quiet about that?) because they started laughing. Mother doesn't tell them off, actually, she seems amused, if nothing else.

"Mmm, just some painting exercises.." I continue and Kaa-Chan joints Onii-Chan and Shi-Nii.

Father looks confused, Mother explains and I'm filled with relief when he only shakes his head in exasperation. Messes averted.

…

They said yes. Sakura had gotten surprised, I was relieved and Naruto was happy. None of that emotions were on the Hokage's stoic face when we delivered the signed scrolls.

In turn to the two scrolls we gave him, he gave one back. One for all. Our classes schedule.

"Don't make me regret this."

"We won't."

…

When it got out that I would start the academy within the week, each family member of mine got a different reaction.

Shi-Nii congratulated me, gave me a slap in the back and, with a big grin, said that I would do fine in it.

Mother smiled sadly and gave a tired sigh that somehow made her seem years older, but congratulated me and dropped a kiss on my forehead while telling me to be careful.

Nii-Chan.. Well, he stuck by me for the rest of the evening all sulky and angst. I slept in his room that night, so much for his peace of mind as mine.

…

The classes had began and it came as no surprise that it was boring as hell, seeing as we already knew all that the teachers were giving. So in no time they were cutting classes to stay in the library, studying more advanced things. And while the adults were all bores, telling us to be in the class room and we already got in late so be serious, they weren't the reason I was stalling in breakfast, hoping that in the end I didn't have to go. That a miracle happened so my future teammates didn't come to pick me up and my parents gave me a free pass today.

The entry door was opened, I had to tell that they needed to knock and wait for us to open it, and from outside came Sakura and Naruto. No miracles today, huh.

"Come on Sasuke, we're going to be late at this rate." Sakura said instead of a normal greeting. What would it matter if we got late, we wouldn't be going to the class room anyway. I send a glare her way, she probably was finding amusing coming in on time just to see my suffering.

"Lighten up, Sasuke." Naruto said with a smile, like Sakura. "Girls don't bite."

I rolled my eyes at that, but got up, leaving most of my breakfast untouched.

"Clearly, we haven't been leaning the same things in the academy."

Sakura giggled, Naruto rolled his eyes, Father eyebrow went up in amusement, Mother hid a laugh behind her hand, Shi-Nii chuckled and Nii-Chan's lips twitched. They all had Uchiha genes, so they shouldn't be amused by my suffering, really. Because I was not kidding, girls are vile creatures.

"Let's go." I called from the kitchen door, they said their goodbye to my family and Mother voice called me back.

"Have a good day Sasu-Chan."

"Thanks."

Totally not ready to face the little devils in school, I exited my house, with Sakura and Naruto by my side, talking about the newest book we were reading. Naruto jumping and moving his hands in excitement, raising his voice enough to make Sakura yell at him, scolding.

…

"Squirt, aren't your exams coming soon?" Shisui's voice took my mind away from the game of Go and I looked at him.

"Yes.." I replied, waiting for him to get to the point.

"So shouldn't you guys be studying?"

Probably or probably not, not sure. Anyone we'd ask would say that given the little time we had classes, we should be with our noses in the books. But the A plus was already a given, studying more or not.

Trying to decide what to respond, I stayed quiet. And in the end it was Naruto, with all his tact, while entertained with his crayons that answered.

" We don't feel like it."

At that, Sakura turned her gaze from the board that we were playing to the dobe, with a incredulous expression, like she couldn't believe he was that stupid. I already had sighed and was despairing in silence, because he was, he truly was.

"What he mean is" she started, trying to fix the situation. "that.. That.." she wasn't succeeding "..Well, he mean what he said but we have it covered."

"I see.." Shi-Nii concluded from the door of the living room, probably deciding that trying to talk to us and make us study wasn't worth the trouble. "Well, I'm going to train if Aunty ask, ok Squirt?"

"Okay."

…

"Congratulations." said the man behind the table, his elbows on it and hands interlaced in front of his white beard. His lips were smiling as he said it and as Naruto shouted in excitement that now we were ninja and blah blah, I had to stop listening at some point, otherwise I would punch the dobe. The Hokage's eyes, though, were sad in a way that made him look older and they were often draw to our foreheads, where our forehead protector were placed.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Sakura said and even though she seemed like she wanted to say more, she remained quiet. But I caught her train of thought and understood why she didn't continued, she didn't want to be rude. I didn't have that problem.

"So why did you called us here?"

The only adult in the room turned his attention to me. After graduating, the normal procedure is to have a sensei to give the Hitai-ate, separate the teams and say the room in which they should wait their sensei and the time. Wishful thinking, everything in the universe was high set in making our everyday life anything but normal. Instead, we were given our headbands and told to go meet the Hokage.

The old man, doesn't take offense in the way I speak (though, I didn't told him not to be), and simply explains that our teacher just became a jounin sensei. The said man had gotten to the sensei's meeting late, so didn't hear which team he would get and all the sorts (and that was great, we were going to have a teacher so unwilling to teach that he had almost skipped all together a sensei meeting). Also because we were exceptions that said had to have a different initiation (I knew that answer I had given the adult would come bite me in a uncomfortable place) and because he wanted to congratulate the trio for surprising him (he must have expected us to pass early, but not with only one and a half month of class).

"Then where is he? Our Sensei, I mean." asks Naruto.

"Well.." the Hokage looks at the clock. "I told him to be here two hours ago, so he must be arriving soon." The man continues in a tone of voice that indicates that behavior is normal and now I was sure of who our sensei was.

Naruto complains a bit about our new sensei's tardiness, but after that the room settles in a awkward silence for minutes. Then there's a knock on the door and Sarutobi's secretary pops in to say that he is here.

"Send him in." and just before the man turns, a thank you.

The door opens again and this time enters Kakashi. A younger, scrawny and slightly smaller version of the Kakashi I know from the dreams. He couldn't be more than twenty and I raise my eyebrow at that, was the Hokage's plan to put all young one in one team?

All that aside, I get the feeling that passing his test is going to be as hard as the first time and that just shows that the Hokage doesn't want us to pass so young. But this ridiculous attempt of stopping us, I know for sure, is going to fail. Simply because I already know the main event of the test, teamwork. There was no way we wouldn't pass. This sure is going smoothly.

"Here's your team, Kakashi-kun." the Hokage says, before the young man even have a chance to look at us, pointing a hand in our direction.

Kakashi turns to us and has to lower his head to actually gaze at us (clearly expecting some older, taller version of genin).

He must have gained serious knowledge in the other life in the eight years that we didn't meet, because I was not impressed when his first reaction was a eyebrow up, wide eye and a strangled "Huh?"

* * *

There! The team is reunited!

Did you like it?

Til next time, kisses.


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